Mechanism for operating valves or other controllers.



PATENTED APR. l1, 1905t H.'E. WARREN. MECRANTSM EUR OPERATING VALVES 0R OTHER CONTROLLERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1904.

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PATENT OFFICE,

HENRY E. HVARREN, OF NEVON, BIASSACHUSICTTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters l atent NO. 787,186, dated April 11, 1905.

Application led May 2S, 1904` Serial No. 210,216.

Be it known that l, Haal-:Y F. Humax a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Newton, in the county of Midl dlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, i have invented certain Improvements in Mechanisrn for Operating Valves or other Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to mechanism for operating valves or other controllers for hydraulic apparatus, clutch mechanism for machinery, rheostats for electrical motors, or any apparatus in which motion in one or alternating directions is to be effected or indicated. lt is an improvement upon the mechanism shown and described in Letters Patent No. 752,101, granted to me February 16, 1901; and it consists in a fluid system which is in operative connectitm with a cylinder and piston therein, which may be referred to herein as an "actuator," and with mechanism to cause a movement of the fluid and change the pressure in the system` which mechanism may be designated primary means."7 and a valve connected with the actuator and operated simultanemlsly therewith, which valve may be designated y"secomlary means, to act upon the tluid in the system and tend to neutralize the etlect produced through the primary means and when the primary means have ceased action to restore the actuator to its normal position.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the valves and fluid system and the actuator arranged to operate a rheostat for an electric motor. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the improvements applied to a controller consisting of a valve similar toa globe or gate valve using a single-port valve as the primacy.

Corresponding parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the drawings, wherein, referring' to Fig. l, the actuator B operates a double-contact rheostat R R, which regulates the current vfor an electric motor M. Vlhe rheostat contact-arm rg, which is shown in its middle or neutral position, is operated by a pinion p through its engagement with rack-teeth f on the rod A, which is attached l to and extends out Afrom the piston or actuator B, adapted to be reciprocated wit-hin the cylinder (l. The secondary means consists of a stem s, which extends from the end of the piston B opposite to the arm A through the other end of tho cylinder (j and into a valvechamber c. lVithin the chamber' c/ the stein .s is reduced, as at a', to form a valve. The chamber c is also provided at its respective ends with an exhaust-port and an inlet-port, If' for lluid under pressure. Midway between these two ports the chamber rf has an annular recess with which is connected a fluidsupply pipe G, in which a throttle-valve, as g, may be placed. Fluid under pressure is supplied to the system through the primary means, consisting of a valve lll, provided with an inlet-port f and exhaust-port 22. '.lhe actuator-cylinder C also has two inlets for lluid under pressure, one, f/i, from the pipe (i upon one side of the piston B and another, g'i, upon the other side of the piston B. By reason of the enlarged projection A2 at one side of the piston B it will be observed that a much smaller surface is exposed to the pressure of fluid upon that side of the piston than upon the opposite side or that from which the stem s projects.

ln the construction shown in Fig. 1 the valve E may be operated by hand or by connection with a motor, The operation is as follows: Suppose the valve E is raised so as to open the supply-port d, Fluid will immediately flow through into the pipe (fr and through the inlet y2 into the cylinder C at the left of the piston B and overcome the pressure of lluitl upon the opposite side of the piston B supplied through the inlet y and cause the piston B to move to the right, and with it the rod A, which, by means of the rack f thereon in engagement with the pinion p, will turn the pinion and its shaft /f' to the right and also the upperl end of the contact-arm r, which is secured to the same shaft. '.lhus the upper end r2 of the contact-arm will malte contact with the portion l of the rheostat and the lower end r with the circuit-closing contacts 7 The metal lower end ri of the contactarm is insulated from the upper end fr: and from the shaft vc by non-conducting material IOO n, and as soon as the ends of the contact-bar are respectively in Contact with the rheostat R and the contacts Z Z' current will ow from the main conductor w, through the contact Z2, the resistance R, arm r2, shaft w, conductor m', to the motor M, out at the conductor m2, through contact Z, arm r3, contact Z', and

conductor and by as much as the arm W is moved to the right over the rheostat R by so much the resistance will be decreased and the current flowing to the motor increased. As soon as the piston B has moved to the right sufficiently far to open the valve e, so as to discharge iiuid through the port Z' as fast as it enters the system through the valve E, further movement of the piston B to the right will cease, and as soon as the valve E is closed the continued escape oi' iiuid through the port Z' will permit the pressure of luid through the inlet g3 to move the actuator-piston B back or to the left until the valve u is closed, and the parts will then come to rest in the position shown in Fig. l and the motor M will stop. It will be understood that if the valve E is moved downward, so as to open the port c2, Jduid will escape from the pipe G and from the cylinder C through the port g2, and thus cause the piston B, with the rod A, to move to the left, thereby turning the ends /rof the contact-arm respectively into contact with the rheostat R' and the contacts Z Z'rg and closing the circuit from the main conductor through Z2, r3, Z, conductor m2, to the motor M, by which it will be turned in the opposite direction. rlhence the current will flow out through the conductor my', shaft w, arm yr2, resistance R', contact Z', and conductor As soon as the piston B has moved suiiiciently far to the left to cause the valve o to open the inlet-port b2, so that uid will flow into the system as fast as it flows out by the port @2, the piston B will come to rest, and when the valve E is closed Huid iiowing in at the port Z2 will move the piston B to the right until the port 212 is closed, and the parts of the mechanism will again come to rest in the middle position, as illustrated, the electric circuit will be opened, and the motor will stop.

In Fig. 2 a modiiied construction is shown wher-ein the valve A' is operated by the actuator-pistonB in a cylinder C. In this instance the primary means consists of a valve E3, which serves only as an outlet for fluid from the cylinder C through the pipe G, while the secondary means or valve c' serves as an inlet for iiuid under pressure upon one side of the piston B and the port g3 for atmospheric pressure upon the opposite side thereof. In this arrangement the valve A' regulates the flow of iiuid to a prime motor supplied through the port H and discharged at the port I. In

Fig. Q the valve E3 is shown as operated by an indicating hand-wheel Zt and, as heretofore stated, serves only as an exhaust-port for the cylinder C. When this valve E3 is opened, iuid will escape from the cylinder C above the piston B. Immediately the pressure of tluid upon the under side of the valve A' will raise it and the piston B and open the valve A', also it will open the valve o' and admit uid under pressure through the port Z2, which will directly compensate for the Huid flowing out through the pipe G and bring the piston B to a state oi' rest. Any variation in the position of the valve E3 will cause a corresponding variation in the position of the valve fn', and when the valve E3 is closed the pressure above the actuator-piston B will immediately become sufciently great to force it downward and close the valve A'.

The primary valve E, as shown in Fig. l, may be connected by a pipe G with both the port g2 and port g3 of the cylinder C, so that the piston B may be operated rign both directions through the action of valve E in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 5 of my said Patent No. 752,491, excepting, of course, the so-called compensating-cylinder will be omitted.

I claim#- 1. In combination, mechanism for operating controllers for hydraulic, electric or other apparatus, consisting of an actuator, a iiuid system in operative connection with the actuator, primary means to effect movements of the iiuid in the system to operate the actuator and secondary means operated with the actuator, each operation of which secondary means effects a movement of iiuid in the system which tends to neutralize the effect of a movement produced through the primary means and thereby stop the actuator, and also causes the actuator to be restored to normal position when the movement eected through the primary means ceases.

2. In combination, a valve, an actuator for the valve, a iiuid system in operative connection with the actuator, primary means to effect a change in the fluid-pressure in the system and thereby move the actuator, and a secondary valve connected with and operated by the movement of the actuator, each operation of which secondary valve effects a change ot' fluid-pressure in the system that tends to counteract the change produced through the primary means, and causes the actuator to be restored to normal position when the effect through the primary means ceases.

HENRY E. VARREN.

WTitnesses:

REUBEN L. RoBERTs, FLORENCE A. COLLINS. 

